Wristwatches: once useful and fashionable.
Now? Pretty redundant — after all, smartphones tell time, and everyone knows women are attracted to men wearing Blackberries on their hip.
Making the watch both sexy and practical again: the Pebble E-paper watch, which wirelessly syncs apps with iPhones and Android phones, now finally available for the masses.
If you don’t remember, the Pebble — built by a geeky coterie of veteran watchsmiths — is a futuristic wrist bauble that caused a brouhaha last April when it raised $500,000 in one day on Kickstarter (on the way to $10+ million) … and then failed to hit its delivery date because it was literally too successful.
Good news: it’s now ready to go (with some enhancements, like ambient light sensors and a magnetic charger), and even non-early adapters can get one.
And it’s worth it, as its Dick Tracy-like features allow you to:
- Receive text messages, phone voicemails, and calendar alerts
- Read email
- Wirelessly control your smartphone’s music and speakers
- Function as a golf rangefinder
- Monitor running or cycling distance and time
Oh, and the lightweight Pebble also works as a watch, with a watch face that is infinitely customizable and viewable in sunlight.
The Pebble will begin shipping on a confirmed date of Jan. 23 for the original Kickstarter backers, and then 6-8 weeks later for those who pre-order now.
Apparently, it takes some time to get things right.
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